Friday’s Beer: Freetail’s Manny Dijo

Last year when sour beers started getting widespread interest, you often heard that “sour is the new hoppy.” That came with threats of cranking up sour to intense levels like what you’ve seen with double and even triple IPAs, melting tastebuds and desensitizing palates.

I haven’t noticed any sour wars breaking out, but they do seem to be getting wider acceptance.

Sour beers are typically an ale, it can be any style, that is allowed to ferment naturally with an introduced or “wild” yeast strain that provides a sour punch.

Freetail Brewing, which has done a number of great sours, put last year’s Danny Mijo, their Irish Red Ale, into a barrel which (I assume) is infected with some sort of a wild yeast. They broke it out again on Saint Paddy’s Day this year with the moniker Manny Dijo. I got a taste of it the other night and I have to say it’s an amazing beer.

It is extremely tart with a mild, fruity sweetness, like a green apple. If you’re familiar with New Belgium’s La Terroir, it’s on that level of sour. It was so tart that I got a tingling in the back of my throat like you would get from a good ginger beer. It’s not as sweet as, say, Monk’s Cafe which is more sweet/tart kind of thing.

It’s on tap now and probably won’t last much longer, so get it while the getting is good. Freetail is out on 1604 close to NW Military in front of the Academy. Look for the windmill.

Not unrelated to sour beers, Flying Dog and Brew Dog breweries are facing off in a zero hops IPA contest. They are using herb, spices and other ingredients to replace hops to see who can come up with the best IPA. Should be interesting. The whole press release is below.

International Arms Race: Flying Dog and BrewDog Launching Combative Collaboration in June

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, March 26, 2012

An IPA with no hops by two breweries separated by sea? Dodge the draft, hide your wives, and guard your children. The International Arms Race is on!

Flying Dog Brewery and BrewDog’s International Arms Race Zero IBU IPA pits brewer against brewer in a battle of the brewing arts. Unlike your standard collaboration, each brewery will craft its own version of the beer, only guided by common ingredients.

“Each of us producing our own beer highlights the human element of the brewing process,” Flying Dog Brewmaster Matt Brophy said. “Even with the same ingredients, the hands that craft it are hugely influential in the end product.”

Another challenge for these friendly foes? Hops, a brewer’s best weapon on the IPA front, are banned from the battlefield.

To achieve a Zero IBU IPA, the brewers agreed upon a list of ingredients – spearmint, bay leaves, rosemary, juniper berries, and elderflower – to replace the bitterness typically imparted by hops.

“When the hardcore team at Flying Dog challenged us to battle, there was no way we wouldn’t take them on,” BrewDog Captain James Watt said. “Now it’s time to see who’s boss.”

The project will also be a battle of illustrators, pitting Gonzo artist Ralph Steadman’s work for Flying Dog against the designs of Johanna Basford, a long-time friend of BrewDog.

“There are so many facets to this project, which are challenging but also exciting,” Brophy said. “We are ready for all out war.”

International Arms Race will be available in June on draft and in 12 oz. bottles (6-packs for Flying Dog, loose case singles for BrewDog) in the mid-Atlantic U.S. and in the U.K.